Corporate Social responsibility Case Study

Child Labour in Cocoa Industry: Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives

OR

Abstract:
Child labour, child trafficking and slavery, the widely prevalent practices in the cocoa industry, especially in West Africa, have been largely condemned. While it is still debated whether child labour helps or hampers development of the workers lives, in the early 21st century, the chocolate industry, threatened by ban and boycott of its products, embarked on social responsibility initiatives for stamping out child labour from the industry. This case study portrays some of the initiatives taken by the cocoa industry in conjunction with chocolate manufacturing corporations, governments, and civil society organisations, to eliminate the use of child labour in the cocoa industry. It further leads a discussion on child labour as a socio-economic issue, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an issue of business ethics, strategy and competitive advantage.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss the initiatives taken by the cocoa industry in conjunction with chocolate manufacturing corporations, governments and civil society organisations to eliminate the use of child labour in the cocoa industry
• To discuss child labour as a socio-economic issue and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an issue of business ethics, strategy and competitive advantage.

Keywords : Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study Child labour, Cocoa industry, Corporate social responsibility, West Africa, Cocoa farming, The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International Labour Organisation (ILO), The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), The Harkin-Engel Protocol, International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), Fairtrade Foundation, Hazardous working conditions, The Chocolate Manufacturers Association (CMA), Family labour, Chocolate companies